Taiwanese carrier Eva Air took delivery of its very first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner earlier this month, bringing with it a brand new fully flat business class seat that will debut on the aircraft next month.
As previously reported by Business Traveller, the new aircraft will make its first appearance on Eva Air’s flights between Taipei and Hong Kong before extending to the airline’s Japan services once it takes delivery of its second Dreamliner.
However, Eva Air operates numerous daily flights between Taipei and Hong Kong, which begs the question: which flights will the new aircraft – and by extension, the new business class seats – be operating?
Initially, it appears that the Dreamliner will fly between Taipei and Hong Kong twice per day starting November 1, according to Eva Air’s current schedule. This will include flights BR867/BR868 and BR857/BR858.
| Flight No. | From | To | Departs | Arrives | Days |
| BR867 | Taipei (TPE) | Hong Kong (HKG) | 1010 | 1210 | 1-Nov |
| BR857 | Taipei (TPE) | Hong Kong (HKG) | 1810 | 2005 | |
| BR868 | Hong Kong (HKG) | Taipei (TPE) | 1335 | 1520 | |
| BR858 | Hong Kong (HKG) | Taipei (TPE) | 2110 | 2255 |
However, from November 2-4 this will change to flights BR891/892 and BR855/BR856, which operate on a different schedule.
| Flight No. | From | To | Departs | Arrives | Days |
| BR891 | Taipei (TPE) | Hong Kong (HKG) | 0700 | 0850 | Nov 2-4 |
| BR855 | Taipei (TPE) | Hong Kong (HKG) | 1415 | 1620 | |
| BR892 | Hong Kong (HKG) | Taipei (TPE) | 0950 | 1130 | |
| BR856 | Hong Kong (HKG) | Taipei (TPE) | 1735 | 1920 |
It’s from November 5-30, however, that the options become even more numerous with the new Dreamliner taking over four daily services on the route during these dates.
| Flight No. | From | To | Departs | Arrives | Days |
| BR891 | Taipei (TPE) | Hong Kong (HKG) | 0700 | 0850 | Nov 5-30 |
| BR851 | Taipei (TPE) | Hong Kong (HKG) | 0805 | 1005 | |
| BR855 | Taipei (TPE) | Hong Kong (HKG) | 1415 | 1620 | |
| BR871 | Taipei (TPE) | Hong Kong (HKG) | 1635 | 1830 | |
| BR892 | Hong Kong (HKG) | Taipei (TPE) | 0950 | 1130 | |
| BR852 | Hong Kong (HKG) | Taipei (TPE) | 1115 | 1300 | |
| BR856 | Hong Kong (HKG) | Taipei (TPE) | 1735 | 1920 | |
| BR872 | Hong Kong (HKG) | Taipei (TPE) | 1940 | 2125 |
Eva Air’s new Royal Laurel Class (what the airline calls its business class) seat has been developed by manufacturer Designworks, part of the BMW Group, and is able to recline to a fully flat position to form a bed that is 76 inches (193cm) long and 23 inches (58.4cm) wide.
Seats also feature an 18-inch high-definition touchscreen monitor, built-in storage cabinets, adjustable privacy panels, extra-large foldout tables, as well as power and USB ports.
The Royal Laurel Class cabin is configured in a forward-facing staggered 1-2-1 layout, meaning all passengers get unhindered access to the aisle. A total of 26 seats are available.
Eva Air is also expected to take delivery of its first 787-10 Dreamliner – a larger version of the -9 model – in the second quarter of next year. Overall, Eva Air plans to operate 24 Dreamliners by 2022.
